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Sperm count may be good predictor of men’s overall health, from Harvard Men’s Health Watch

Published: August, 2011

Is poor semen quality a new longevity risk factor? Normally, a doctor looking for a snapshot of a patient's health will ask about smoking, drinking, diet, and exercise and then measure cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar, and weight or waist size. These facts and numbers already enable doctors to predict long-term health and longevity, but scientists are always looking for additional measurements that can predict survival. According to an article in the August 2011 Harvard Men's Health Watch, new Danish research may have pinpointed an unlikely health predictor, at least for men: semen quality.

Between 1963 and 2001, the Copenhagen Sperm Analysis Laboratory performed semen analyses on 51,543 men, most of whom were referred because they or their partners had concerns about fertility. The results showed a clear link between semen quality and the rate of death. As the number of sperm increased up to a threshold of 40 million per milliliter of semen, the mortality rate declined steadily; the men with the highest sperm counts enjoyed a mortality rate 43% lower than the men with the lowest counts.

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Daily Health Tip

Motivate yourself to exercise

It can be tough to be active. Try doing something fun that involves activity, such as volunteering at an animal shelter or delivering meals to people who can't leave their homes. It doesn't have to be much; just 20 minutes a day makes a huge difference.